Top News

I set out to find whether supermarket brands could match or beat Walkers in a taste test, as well as on price. I tried Walkers’ original cheese and onion, their oven-baked pack, Marks & Spencer’s, Sainsbury’s, and Lidl’s brand. To my surprise, one supermarket was tastier than Walkers. I’ve ranked the crisps from worst to best below.

5) Oven-baked Walkers

Walkers Oven Baked was launched in 2006 as a healthier version of the original pack, promising 50% less fat. As described, these are baked rather than fried as a healthier option.

At Tesco, a pack of six costs £2.50, but it was definitely not worth the price. These crisps were the worst out of all the options. They have an unpleasant powdery feel and a strange aftertaste, which is there no matter the flavour.

My partner, who joined me on this taste test, simply stated: “Not pleasant. They taste kind of cheap. I definitely taste more cheese than any onion.”

4) Lidl

Lidl offers affordable Snaktastic cheese and onion crisps; however, they were sold out at the time of shopping, so I opted to try the brand’s Deluxe mature cheddar and red onion hand-cooked potato crisps for £1.15. On the bag, the description reads: “Tangy mature cheddar combined with the sweetness of red onion.”

Tasting it, my relatively hard-to-please boyfriend commented: “There’s nothing to it. It’s very bland, which is surprising for being ‘deluxe.’ I would not eat any more of this.”

Other than being really big crisps and crunchy, I have to agree with his comments. It’s not the best tasting, which is a shame, as I was looking forward to tasting the red onion. However, it is not an offensive crisp and would pair nicely with a dip.

3) Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s offered the cheapest packet of crisps, priced at 85p for a six-pack.

Out of all the crisps, these are probably the closest to Walkers in flavour. However, they tasted rather cheap to me, with very thin cuts of potato and little dusting of flavour.

One reviewer on Sainsbury’s website disagreed, however: “These crisps are best. Really large crunchy crisps and much better than Walkers. Half the price as well.The grandkids can’t get enough of them ( and neither can the adults). The best of all of the own brands.”

2) Walkers

You can’t go wrong with a classic bag of Walkers. Crunchy, well-balanced, flavourful — simply delicious.

My only gripe is that the amount you get in a packet has significantly decreased. Nowadays, when you pop open a bag, only 50% or what feels like less is filled. I also wish there were more of the cheese-and-onion flavour on each crisp.

The brand boasts: “To make sure our crisps are perfect, we run taste tests six times a day. We lock in freshness with our protective foil to ensure that our crisps taste as fresh as the day they were cooked… and that’s our Guarantee.”

1) Marks and Spencer

M&S is known for their luxury goods, including a large range of crisps. When shopping, I normally opt for their tortilla chips, so within this taste test, I did not know what to expect from the flavour.

The description on the M&S site reads: “Enjoy a satisfying crunch and a subtle yet savoury taste that’s not overpowering, perfect for snacking on at any time of the day.”

What was a welcomed suprised was that a large 150g packet cost only £1.70. These crisps are a little thicker than Walkers and darker in colour.

They are very moreish and have a nice balance between the cheese and onion. However, the cheese tasted a little artificial, and I wish it were crunchier. Nonetheless, it was very flavourful — more than you’d get from Walkers.